It seems like just yesterday that the baseball season was beginning, but all of a sudden the All-Star break came and went, the trading deadline passed, and the stretch run to the playoffs was completed. Now eight teams remain, four in the American League and four in the National League, all with eyes on the big prize, the World Series. All of a sudden the MLB Playoffs are here, and in two days, on October 3, the AL and NL Divisional Series begin.
Oakland Athletics vs. Minnesota Twins
The Twins snuck in with the AL Central Championship on the last day of the season and are coming off of an incredible 71-33 run, after starting the season at 25-33. The Oakland Athletics also had to overcome a slow start, as they went 24-29 over the first two months of the season, finishing at 93-69.
The Twins and Athletics have both been playoff regulars for most of the 2000s, but neither have had much success in the playoffs, even after very good regular seasons. This year the Athletics bring a mix of good, young, pitching and solid hitting, while the Twins are led by the best pitcher in baseball, Johan Santana, and two of the great young hitters of this generation, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.
The Athletics have been led by Frank Thomas, who put together a surprising MVP worthy season and brought veteran leadership to the team. Thomas hit .270 with 39 home runs and 114 RBI. Behind Thomas, the A's received good seasons from many players, especially Nick Swisher (35 home runs and 95 RBI) and Milton Bradley (14 home runs). The team is not one made of stars, but one made of good hitters, like Bobby Kielty, Mark Kotsay, Jay Payton, and Jason Kendall (who recovered from a tough 2005 season to hit .295). Bobby Crosby is injured, but could return if the A's make it to the ALCS. Eric Chavez had an injury plagued season, but still played excellent defense at third base. Defense and clutch hitting was a key ingredient to the success of the A's.
Pitching is what has truly led the Athletics into the playoffs. The quality starting pitchers and bullpen helped keep the A's in all the games that they played. Barry Zito, in his contract year, which could be his last with Oakland, put together another very good season, going 16-10 with a 3.83 ERA. After starting out 1-2 with a 5.93 ERA over the first five games of the season, Zito was nearly unhittable in May, going 3-1 in 6 games with a 1.32 ERA. Zito was 11-5 from June to August, as the Athletics turned the season around and took over the lead in the AL West, including a 4-1 August.
Even without Rich Harden, who pitched in only 7 games before falling to an injury, the rest of the staff was strong. Harden pitched five innings on September 29th and will be part of the playoff rotation. Dan Haren (14-13, 4.12 ERA) also had a 4-1 stretch in August during the team's best month. Esteban Loiaza finished 11-9 with a 4.89 ERA, but was up and down all season, with a 8.35 ERA in April, a 7.26 ERA in July, and a 5.11 ERA in September. However, Loiaza was almost untouchable in August, going 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA. Joe Blanton tied for the team lead with 16 wins and had a 4.82 ERA. Blanton also had his best month in August, with a 3.13 ERA and 3 wins.
The Twins turned things around when Francisco Lirano joined the starting rotation. However, Liranio went down with an injury in August and will not be available for the playoffs, but the Twins were able to keep the winning going even without the star rookie pitcher. Johan Santana took over the pitching staff, as he had the past three seasons, and Mauer and Morneau led the offense.
The Twins play together as a team just as much as the Athletics do, and in the same way only have two hitters (Mauer and Morneau) who had very good statistical seasons, with solid contributions from many others. Mauer, the hometown kid, hit .347, to win the AL batting title, while Morneau hit .321 with 34 RBI and 130 RBI, and is the leading contender for AL MVP. Luis Castillo hit .296 and Torii Hunter hit .278 with 31 home runs and 98 RBI.
Liriano had an amazing stretch in which he went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and 144 strikeouts before falling victim to an arm injury in August. He then ended his season in mid-September after trying to pitch once again, but not being able to. Santana had his third straight amazing season, going 19-6 with a 2.77 ERA and 245 strikeouts. Santana is the leading candidate for the AL Cy Young Award. Brad Radke overcame arm soreness to continue pitching in what could be his last MLB season, and was able to win 12 games for the Twins, while Carlos Silva struggled all year, finishing with a 5.94 ERA.
The Twins and Athletics are very similar teams. Both are team oriented, with only a few key players and many solid ones behind them. Hitting wise, the Twins are the better team, with Morneau putting together a slightly stronger season than Thomas, Mauer a better season than Nick Swisher, and Hunter a better season by far than Bradley.
Pitching wise, the Athletics have the better rotation, but the Twins have the better bullpen. After Johan Santana, the Twins rotation is very shaky, especially with Radke's arm troubles. Barry Zito may not be nearly as good as Santana, but Harden, Haren, Blanton, and Loiaza provide a much better back of the rotation, giving the team five reliable starters. Joe Nathan (1.58 ERA, 7-0, 36 saves), Pat Neshek (4-2, 2.19 ERA) and Juan Rincon (3-1, 2.91 ERA) of the Twins, are two of the best relievers in baseball, while Huston Street is good, with 37 saves and a 3.31 ERA, but not as good as Nathan, and the rest of the bullpen is not as deep as the Twins.
It should be a tough series and should last five games.
The Prediction: Twins Win in Five
Santana will win two games and the Twins offense will carry the team in the other games.
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